Bad Project Rituals We Need to Ditch (Before They Ditch Our Projects)
Every profession develops its own rituals. Bakers tap dough. Actors whisper “break a leg.” Project managers…add just one more column to the RAID log. Some rituals help. Some, however, have quietly evolved into time-eating monsters that pretend to be governance.
Here are a few of the worst offenders, and how to retire them with grace.
1️⃣ The Weekly RAG Report That Proves Diligence (But Lies Anyway)
A dashboard bathed in the glow of many colours — because the more traffic lights we show, the more diligent we must be. Green, amber, red, double amber, blue for “blocked,” purple for “existential dread”… it’s a rainbow of assurance!
Meanwhile, the reality:
the project is on fire, the supplier has disappeared into a forest to “reconnect with nature,” and the budget is clinging to life with a spreadsheet and a prayer.
A better ritual: Honest status conversations where red isn’t a crime - it’s a clue.
2️⃣ The 47-Slide Programme Report Pack
If the audience needs a packed lunch to survive your update, something has gone wrong.
The myth is that more slides equals more assurance. In reality, attention spans expire around slide 12, and by slide 30 someone is zooming in on Outlook to write their shopping list.
A better ritual: One slide that tells the truth. Two more only if absolutely necessary. Pictures encouraged. Shakespearean monologue discouraged.
3️⃣ The Meeting That Emails Could Have Handled
If your diary looks like Tetris played by someone with a grudge, you’re not alone.
Meetings have become the default ritual, whether or not decisions or collaboration are required. Sometimes we meet about planning the next meeting. Sometimes we meet to discuss why we’re all so busy. The irony is rarely acknowledged.
A better ritual: Ask, before sending that invite:
Is this a decision, a conversation, or a broadcast? If it’s the third… send an email and let people reclaim a piece of their soul.
4️⃣ The Risk Register That Never Changes
This is the artefact that sees all and moves nothing. It is updated quarterly with the same ten risks, carefully copied from the last quarter. Earthquake? Check. Sudden collapse of global dairy market? Check. Actual emerging operational risk? “Let’s put that one in a workshop.”
A better ritual: Risk as a living conversation. Attach owners, triggers, and clear actions. Bonus points if the risks relate to reality.
5️⃣ The Show Must Go On (Even If We Forgot Why)
Projects start with purpose. Months later, that purpose is sometimes buried under milestone archaeology. But the ritual persists: keep going, because momentum feels like progress.
A better ritual: Regularly revisit the “why.” If the world has shifted , as it frequently does, pausing can be leadership, not failure.
Rituals Should Serve the Project — Not the Other Way Around
Project management works best when we protect the work that actually delivers outcomes: aligning people, enabling decisions, and adapting with sincerity.
Let’s keep the useful rituals and kindly escort the others into retirement. They’ve had a good run, but our projects deserve better.